The Grand Inquisitor!

It's official, Brooklyn has a new nickname!  She's the Grand Inquisitor!  Here's why:

Over the past couple of months Brooklyn has started asking more, and more, and even more questions... about everything!  I don't know if she ever finishes a sentence without slipping a question in somewhere.  It's been hilarious!  I thought about bringing home my clicker counter from work just to "click" each time she asks me a question and get a good count of her question tally each night, but instead I just decided to write down every question she asked, but it only lasted through dinner because I ran out of space on my paper, and honestly was running out of patience!  Plus, each time I had to write one down I left Dooder waiting for his dinner and yeah, he's not a happy camper when he's hungry.  Anyways, here's "the list" from dinner last night, I'll let you guys use your imagination as to what she was asking about and what my answers were:

"Are you feeding Carson?"

"Are you giving him 2?"

"Is there taste in that bread?"

"Can I taste your bread?"

"Can I taste Carson's food?"

"Babies food is good for babies, huh?"

"and for big girls, huh?"

"What's in your bread?"

"What's really in your bread?"

"Is the sauce spicy?"

"Is that cream on the front?"

"Is there something else in your bread?"

"Is there something else in your bread?"

"Is there something else in your bread?"

"He likes it, huh?"

"Do you like your bread?"

"Is something squeezing out of it?"

"Is it a little peep?"

"Where's a little peep?"

"Did you eat the little peep?"

"Did you eat her mama?"

"Is she down in your tummy?"

"Where's the easter eggs?"

"Did mommy hide them again?"

"Did mommy throw them away or something?"

"Where did she hide them?"

"We need to look for them huh?"

"Was that funny?"

"What did you get on your shirt?"

"What do you see on your red shirt?"

"What do you see on your red shirt?"

"What do you see on your red shirt?"

"Are you looking at your shirt or me?"

"Is he done with his lunch?"

"What does that jar of food say?"

"Chicken and peas or chicken and parrots?"

"Did mommy go to the library?"

"Did she get out of the jeep at the library?"

That's where I ran out of space... Yes, they are all real questions, and yes that was only over the course of maybe 10 minutes, and yes, Carson did eventually get to eat all of his dinner...  LOL.

Mission Revisited: March 1999

February in the MTC had been a little rough on me.  I had struggled with the language, and had really gotten pretty down on myself.  In March things were still tough but my outlook was getting a little better.  It's funny, when I read my early journal entries I get mad at myself for complaining so much!  If I had known then what I had waiting for me in Switzerland I wouldn't have complained so much!  I think I needed the MTC trials though to test my metal and get me ready for the daily rigors of proselyting in Europe.  You can tell from the entry below that I had to reassure myself quite a bit, but deep down, I knew that I belonged there and knew that the MTC was truly a place of spiritual molding.  Without it, I would have never been as motivated as I was once I got into the field.  The journal entry below is from early in March.  Enjoy!

3/9/1999 MTC in Provo, UT:

Well today has really been a fun day!  I love Tuesdays because we have a service project and we also have Tuesday night devotionals which really lift the spirit (plus the devotionals keep the classes short!).  

I love the classes and love learning about missionary work, but honestly sometimes it's nice to get a little break from the classes!  This place can at times feel like a spiritual prison, and yes there are days when I really love it here, but there are also times when I wish I wasn't going to Switzerland and instead was going to an English speaking mission because if I was, I would be leaving here tomorrow!

I honestly am still struggling with the language and sometimes I just feel like some things about it will never click, but I know if I keep the faith, good things will happen.

At our devotional tonight we had a member of the Quorum of the Seventy come and talk to us.  Elder Dilinbaugh was his name.  He told us a little about his experience back when he went on a mission. Back then, there was no MTC, there were no discussions, you simply went to a foreign country for 2 and 1/2 years with nothing but your testimony and you learned the rest there!  He learned the German language and had a very successful mission.  It was inspiring to me!  

I truly know that the Lord has called me to work in the Zurich Switzerland mission for a reason.  Fate really isn't fate, it's the Lord's will coming to pass, and I love it.  I keep reminding myself to never question the Lord.  He knows every living being better than they know themselves!  I believe this because I know he knows what's right for me, I have felt it.  

Despite this though, right now, 2 years seems like an eternity.  Every pretty girl I see makes me think about home, dating and how much I miss it all.  Yet, at the same time, "the days seem like weeks and the weeks seem like days."  That is so true!  I'm already in the middle of the 4th week out of 10 and it really seems like I just got here.  I honestly don't know quite how to describe it, it's just very interesting I guess.

I know that I haven't developed a real love for missionary work yet because I haven't really done any yet.  All I've done is study German and read the scriptures.  I'm not saying that those 2 things are bad things to do, but they really are all that I've done so far.  It's a little hard to do that so much without having some relaxation time in between.  

This gospel is true, I know it, and that knowledge and my family's support keep me here.  Someday if I keep the faith I'll be standing in a baptismal font in Switzerland with a great family who is getting ready to be baptized into the only true church in this world!  That's my goal, if I keep the faith who knows what will happen.

One of my MTC Teachers:  Brother Gunderson

Me with another one of my MTC Teachers:  Sister Tompkins

Me doing scripture study

Do You Still Have That Big Smile?

Tonight was a fun one!  With Ghost Hunters recording on one TV and American Idol recording on another (for Britney) my ability to watch sports all night long was impaired, so I did something better... I got creative with the kids!  Here are the results of my efforts...

Brooklyn Ghost Stories

It's amazing what having a flash light out can lead too, tonight it lead to the first ever installment of Brooklyn's Ghost Stories!

Story 1:  "The Mean Ghosts" as told by Brooklyn Marie Quarnberg

There was a whole land of mean, SCARY ghosts & the ghosts loved to eat PEOPLE!  Yummy, yummy, yummy.... ewwwwwwww SCARY!  The ghost taught his friends that he likes to eat you too.... ewwwwwwwwwwww, was that scary daddy?

Story 2:  "The Happy Land Full of Happy Ghosts" as told by Brooklyn Marie Quarnberg

Once upon a time there was a happy land full of happy ghosts, and the ghosts thought you can't eat food all by yourself, and the ghosts all went ewwwwwwwwww.  Was that scary daddy?

Q&A With Brooklyn  

You've got to love a little Q&A with a 3 year old!  Here are some of tonight's highlights:

Brooklyn:  "baack, ba, bagar, ba, baack, begaak"

Me (Completely perplexed):  "What does that mean Brooklyn?"

Brooklyn:  "That's thank you in Spanish daddy."

Brooklyn:  "I'm popped daddy!"

Me:  "You're popped?  What does that mean?"

Brooklyn:  "I'm just so really frustrated right now daddy."

Me:  "Okay, why are you frustrated?"

Brooklyn:  "Well, I'm just so mad at my blankie, it stept on my last mornin and I'm still so very mad at it."

Translations of Carson

Ahhh, good old #2

Carson:  "Mamamama, mmmmmmmmmm"

Body Language:  Slightly reddened in the face, a little bit of a cold sweat, teetering back and forth.

Translation:  "I wonder if that Chicken Noodle dinner will smell better coming out than it did coming in?"

Carson:  "MMMMMMMMMM"

Body Language:  Eyes bulging, face as red as a fire trunk, lips pressed tight, veins popping.

Translation:  "I hope you're warming up the oven daddy because I'm about to bake me some brownies!"

Carson:  ".........."

Body Language:  Total blank on his face, eyes still a little moist, leaning on one side a bit because of the uneveness in his diaper.

Translation:  "I hope you own a pair of rubber gloves daddy because I just made a freaking mess!"

Goodnight Brooklyn

As I was tucking Brooklyn in to bed she looked at me and said:  "Daddy, why don't you have a big smile on your face?".  I smiled in response and told her that I just put one on just for her.  Laughing she said:  "Daddy you should always keep that big smile, don't lose it."  I left her room, but came back a few minutes later to put something away.  When I walked in I heard a sweet voice say "Daddy, do you still have that big smile?"  I laughed and said "Brooklyn, with you here, it would be hard not to."